


What Comes After

by katling



Series: Worthy of such faith [10]
Category: Far Cry (Video Games), Far Cry 4
Genre: Aftermath, M/M, Sabal is confused, and worried, but everything is okay, what happens after you win?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-27 09:19:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13877862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katling/pseuds/katling
Summary: When a war is over, there comes the aftermath. Sometimes that doesn't always go the way you think it will. Or... Ajay finds out that Pagan Min meant what he said and Sabal is very confused.





	What Comes After

**Author's Note:**

> It probably isn't necessary to read the rest in this series but there are some small things in this that will make more sense if you do.

Sabal had never thought he would greet the sight of the royal palace with relief but these were unusual times in many ways. Kyrat was free of its tyrant. _And it’s almost tyrant_ , the thought drifted through his mind and he shuddered with shame and horror at his own mindless behaviour. He still didn’t know quite what had possessed him in those last days before the fall of Pagan Min’s rule. Before he’d headed off on the task he’d just finished, Ajay had given him some very narrow and heavy looks, full of speculation. He didn’t know what they meant and a small part of him had been glad to escape them as he went round Kyrat to ensure things were settling down.

But now he was back and all he really wanted to do was to wash and wrap himself around Ajay until things made sense again. He walked wearily up to the door of the palace and got his first surprise when it was opened before he got there. The elderly man who had opened it bowed slightly and smiled at him.

“Sabal. Welcome home.”

Sabal blinked. “Thank you,” he said, the politeness to an elder almost automatic in his surprise.

“Shall I guide you to His Majesty?” the old man continued.

Sabal blinked again. “Yes?” he said warily, wondering what had happened in his absence. Had Pagan Min come back? He'd _known_ that was a decision that was going to come back to bite Ajay in the arse. He suddenly wished he’d brought his weapons with him instead of leaving them in the car.

He followed the elderly man through the corridors of the palace, noticing that the palace was once again populated and they were passing people bustling back and forth on various tasks. It got his hackles up but he couldn’t help but notice that everyone seemed calm and even… happy, carrying out their tasks with a sense of purpose. By the time they reached their apparent destination, Sabal was feeling decidedly off balance. The elderly man didn’t seem to notice – or if he did, he politely ignored it – and knocked once on the door then opened it.

“Sabal has returned, Your Majesty.”

Sabal finally relaxed when he heard Ajay’s voice from inside the room.

“Oh, thank you, Niraj.”

The elderly man gestured for Sabal to enter and when he did, he found himself in a comfortable but fairly utilitarian office. Ajay was sitting at the desk, looking slightly stressed but with a smile on his face as he looked at Sabal. Standing beside Ajay, clearly having been commenting on the paperwork on the desk, was a man in the red Royal Army uniform. On the other side of Ajay, in a similar pose, was a woman Sabal knew – Indira, one of the senior members of the Golden Path. It was only her presence and her obvious calm that didn’t have him screaming right now.

“Ajay?” Sabal said, feeling thoroughly confused.

Ajay’s smile quirked into something a little wry. “You know how I told you about Pagan Min giving me the country?” Sabal nodded and Ajay’s smile somehow became even more wry. “Apparently he really meant it and he even did it legally. There are proper documents, officially handing things over to me and naming me King. I didn’t even know that was a thing.”

“King Min was concerned that there be an orderly succession,” the Royal Army officer said with slightly amused reproof.

“Oh, this is General Dinesh,” Ajay said, gesturing towards the officer with his thumb. “He was the highest ranking surviving officer in the Army. He had the papers.”

“Sabal,” the General said with a brisk nod.

“General,” Sabal said warily in reply.

Indira moved then, walking around the table and giving him a respectful nod. “This is your place, Sabal.”

Sabal watched her go and then turned back to Ajay. “Ajay?”

“I sort of drafted her in because I needed someone to tell me about Kyrat until you got back.”

“You know Kyrat,” Sabal objected.

“I know how to get around Kyrat,” Ajay said dryly. “But I don’t really know its people or its culture or things like that. I still need to learn all of that.”

Sabal opened his mouth then closed it again. He ran a hand down his face but before he could say anything, the General patted Ajay on the shoulder.

“I think I’ll take my leave, Your Majesty. We can come back to this later.”

The General left the room and Sabal waited until the door closed behind him to say anything.

“What is going on?”

“I’ve been asking myself that,” Ajay replied.

“Ajay!” Sabal snapped then he sighed and slumped where he was standing. “Forgive me but it has been a long week and I… do not understand what is going on.”

Ajay looked stricken and he jumped to his feet and hurried around the desk. “Oh man. I’m sorry, Sabal. I thought someone might have told you but I guess you must have been moving ahead of the news.”

“Undoubtedly,” Sabal murmured, leaning against Ajay when came up beside him. “I did not want to be away too long.”

Ajay wrinkled his nose. “You stink, Sabal.”

Sabal began to laugh softly as his exhaustion reared its head. “Yes, I do.”

“Come on.”

Ajay guided him through the corridors of the palace until they reached a large apartment that looked like it had recently been stripped clean of a great many things, from furniture to the walls themselves. It had certainly been recently repainted since the smell still hung faintly in the air. He didn’t have time to look any further as Ajay pushed him straight towards the bathroom. He didn’t argue and instead took advantage of the fact there was actual plumbing and a shower in the bathroom to get really clean. When he emerged again with a towel wrapped around his waist, Ajay was lounging on the bed with his hands tucked behind his head, staring up at the ceiling.

“Ajay?”

Ajay gave a start then sat up. “Hey.”

“I…” Sabal stopped them started again. “My clothes are filthy as well.”

“Oh yeah!” Ajay waved towards the cupboard in the corner on the room. “Indira got some of your stuff sent here.” He looked hesitant. “That’s… okay, isn’t it? She seemed to think it was.”

Sabal blinked again then decided that he would leave thinking about the fact that the Golden Path seemed to know about him and Ajay and instead concentrated on getting dressed. He didn’t bother with a jacket or shoes and padded over to sit next to Ajay on the bed. The younger man was looking a little nervous and was picking at one of his thumbnails. 

“Now, will you please tell me what is going on?” Sabal asked. He could hear the plaintive note in his voice but he didn’t care. “When I left you were here alone and now…”

“Yeah, I know,” Ajay said, leaning into Sabal. “The day after you left General Dinesh turned up with the documents and a bunch of the Royal Army. I thought I was in big trouble but he just showed me the documents. They…” He hesitated for a moment. “They’d all been drawn up and signed by Pagan before I even got here to Kyrat. Which tallies with what he told me before he left. That he’d always intended to give the country to me.”

“The Royal Army hasn’t been… troublesome?” Sabal asked.

Ajay shook his head. “No. The General seems to be in very firm control of them and he’s started to call them all back to the barracks here at the palace. We’ve been… sorting through what to do with them. A lot of the elite soldiers aren’t even from Kyrat. Some want to stay but I want to make sure they’re not…”

“Yuma’s people,” Sabal said. “Or De Pleur’s.”

“Yeah,” Ajay said. “The General doesn’t seem the mind the changes I’ve suggested.”

“Really?” Sabal looked sceptical. “I find that hard to believe.”

“Yeah, me too,” Ajay replied. “That’s why I asked for help from the Golden Path. Indira volunteered to help until you got back. She seems… sort of impressed by the General.” He paused for a moment. “He has said that we might face from problems from some of the soldiers. He’s already heard whispers about some groups breaking away because they want to keep going how they were. The ones at Durgesh, for example.” He sighed and ran a hand down his face. “So the fighting hasn’t ended quite yet. He just doesn’t want me getting involved in it. We’ve already had a couple of arguments about that.”

Ajay looked so discontented that Sabal couldn’t help but laugh, which only made Ajay pout some more before he finally started to smile.

“A king only fights when there is no other option,” Sabal said with a smile.

Ajay made a disgruntled noise. “Where’s the fun in that? I didn’t earn all those weapons from Longinus to not use them.”

Sabal laughed at that then he sobered. “Ajay…”

“You’re sticking with me, right?” Ajay interrupted. “I mean, I can’t do this without you. I don’t want to. You’re the leader of the Golden Path and you’re, uh…” He blushed and ducked his head. “Mine. I hope.”

That snapped Sabal out of his lingering bewilderment. He shifted on the bed so that he was facing Ajay and turned the younger man’s face towards his.

“I am, as much as you are mine.” He sighed. “My apologies, Ajay. I was merely caught by surprise. It is… unnerving to suddenly find enemies have become… allies.”

Ajay leaned into his touch but also cocked an eyebrow at him. “You had to know this was going to happen. Whether it was the remnants of Amita’s supporters or Royal Army soldiers who decided to chuck it in once Pagan was dealt with.”

Sabal sighed then shook his head with weary amusement. “I confess I had not thought that far ahead. For so long it seemed like the impossible dream that thinking about _after_ was pointless.” He frowned slightly. “It… will be difficult to trust them.”

“Yeah, I know,” Ajay replied. “But the General seems to realise that. He’s not expecting us to trust him right off the bat.” He started tugging on Sabal’s sleeve. “Now come on. Lie down. You look like shit even after washing.”

Sabal was not going to argue with that. He rolled over onto the bed properly and then pulled Ajay down with him, chuckling a little at the younger man’s startled squawk.

“Sabal! I still have things to do today!”

Sabal wrapped his arms around him and held him tightly. “No, you do not.”

Ajay went still and gave him an exasperated look. “Yes, I really do.”

Sabal rolled them so that Ajay was underneath him. “You are king. You can do what you wish.”

“That’s a really bad precedent to set,” Ajay said with a slowly growing smile. However as he was also worming his hands underneath Sabal’s shirt, Sabal did not take the protest terribly seriously.

He let his head fall down into Ajay’s shoulder and settled himself more comfortably. “This I what I was thinking about when I was driving back,” he said, his voice slowing and getting a little slurred with tiredness. “Wanted to wash and wrap myself around you.”

Ajay relaxed completely underneath him and chuckled softly. He felt one of Ajay’s hands start to run through his hair. “Well, then, I guess we can do that. Sounds kind of nice.”

Sabal would have replied but somewhere in the middle of Ajay’s sentence, he fell asleep.


End file.
